How Blurry Vision Affects Driving: Exploring Myopia and Legal Limits

Hey Antonio, ever wondered what it’s like to drive with blurry vision? To legally get behind the wheel, you need to pass a vision test known as the Driving Vision Standard. This can be done at the Department of Transport or your local optometrist. But today, we're going to explore how blurry your vision needs to be before it becomes illegal to drive.

We'll start by showing what normal vision looks like and then gradually increase the level of myopia (nearsightedness) until everything on the road becomes blurry and illegal to navigate. Along the way, I’ll share some interesting facts about vision and driving.

What is Myopia?

Myopia, commonly referred to as nearsightedness, occurs when the eyeball grows longer than normal, causing light to focus incorrectly on the retina. This results in blurry vision, especially when looking at distant objects. People with myopia typically need glasses to see clearly at a distance. In many cases, their driver's license will indicate that they must wear glasses while driving.

Now, without further ado, let’s dive in.

Normal Vision: A Clear Day on the Road

In the first video, we see what it’s like to drive with normal eyesight. It’s a sunny day on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Everything on the road, from street signs to cars, appears clear. If you’re watching from the U.S., you might notice I’m driving on the left side of the road – that’s just how we roll here in Australia.

Introducing Myopia: The Blurriness Begins

Next, I’ve introduced one diopter of nearsightedness. At this level, the road itself isn’t overly blurry, but if you look closely, you’ll notice that reading street signs is a bit more challenging than before. This level of vision might be considered borderline illegal because, at an optometry clinic, the Driving Vision Standard (the top line on an eye chart) would be difficult to read. However, outdoors in good lighting, the vision doesn’t seem as bad.

Illegal to Drive: Myopia at -2 Diopters

Now, let's move on to -2 diopters. At this point, it’s absolutely illegal to drive. Everything inside the car remains clear, but everything outside is a complete blur. In Australia, the penalty for driving without the required glasses can be up to $300.

Severe Myopia: What -3 Diopters Looks Like

At -3 diopters, the view is nothing but a complete fuzz, even on a bright sunny day. You might be thinking, “My glasses are -3, and I see worse than this.” Well, that’s because when I filmed this, the bright sunny weather required me to reduce the aperture size to avoid overexposure. This is similar to how our pupils work, which is why we tend to see things more clearly during the day than at night.

The Impact of Lighting: Myopia in Low Light

But what happens when the lighting isn’t as good? To demonstrate this, I got up at 6:00 a.m. the next morning, before the sun came up. The difference in vision is striking, showing just how much sunlight helps us see clearly.

A Day at the Airport: Myopia in Action

Now, I’ve arrived at an airport and am about to board a flight. The flight schedule screen is a perfect example of how different levels of myopia affect clarity.

This video was a ton of fun to make, and I’m excited to simulate myopia in various other scenarios. If you have any suggestions for what I should experiment with next, feel free to drop a comment – your idea might be featured in the next video!

On the Aircraft: Myopia and Brightness

As the flight boards, let’s see what it looks like on the plane. I managed to get a window seat, which offers another great example of why brightness outdoors makes a huge difference to vision. I expected the view to be much blurrier, but the reduced aperture size once again minimized the effect.

A Final Example: The Exit Sign

The last example is the exit sign on the ceiling of the airplane. Since it’s not as bright inside, we should see a more pronounced difference in clarity with varying levels of myopia. This also demonstrates that with myopia, only distant objects appear blurry, while closer ones, like the safety instruction menu, remain clear.